Jet Therapy for Diabetics  

Jet Therapy brings relief to people suffering from diabetes by improving circulation.   This occurs in two ways.

Firstly, the massage stimulates blood flow through the skin tissue, which is particularly important for people who have lost most of their micro vessels to the disease.

Secondly, JT has been shown to dilate micro-blood vessels for up to six days.  This means more blood can pass through whatever remains of the blood vessels.

What is Diabetes?

Diabetes (DIABETES MELLITUS)  is a disease caused by the pancreas gland not producing the right quantities of insulin and glucagons, which are needed to control the sugar levels in the blood.Excess sugar in the blood eats away the micro blood vessels in the body over a period of time.  This results in extreme parts of the body being starved of blood. Without the oxygen carried by the blood, body tissue dies.  Lack of blood also affects the nerve endings, causing numbness, cold or hot feet, stiffness, tingling, pins and needles and pain. Lack of sensation often leads to foot burns and foot injuries.Insulin stimulates the cells to take up glucose (sugar in it's most simple form) from the blood and so lowers the blood-glucose level.  Its principal action is to facilitate transport of glucose into most cells, especially muscles and fat cells.  

It also stimulates the storage of glucose, amino acids and fatty acids and promotes the entry of potassium into cells. Glucagons stimulate the mobilization (release) of glucose, fatty acids, and amino acids from storage depots into the blood. Its principal action is to raise the blood-sugar level. It acts in the opposite way to insulin. 

There are 2 distinct clinical varieties of diabetes Type one is where the person is insulin dependant , which means that sufferers of this disorder have to regulate their insulin levels by injecting the hormone to relieve the carbohydrate imbalance that results. This usually develops before the age of 20.Type two applies to more than 90% of all cases. It is generally a mild condition and can be controlled by maintaining an appropriate body weight and carefully managing the diet. In more serious cases, orally taken drugs to stimulate the cells that produce insulin are administered. Diabetes is a disease that causes both vascular (circulatory) and neurological (Neuropathy) symptoms for the sufferers. Once the disease develops to a stage where either or both of these conditions are present there are not many options available to medical practitioners to treat complications that may develop. As a result the discomfort associated with neuropathy can only be treated with medication. The wounds and non - healing ulcers that develop due to poor circulation can only be dressed, in the hope of recovery. These usually result in surgical intervention as a last resort. Complications associated with the disease are gangrene, amputation, sores and ulcers that won't heal, throbbing pain, kidney failure, blindness and nerve damage.

Type 1	Type 2
Frequent urination	Type 1 symptoms
Unusual thirst	Frequent infections
Extreme hunger	Blurred vision
Unusual weight loss	Cuts and bruises that heal slowly
Extreme fatigue	Recurring skin, bladder or gum infections
Irritability	Tingling or numbness in hands or feet

 

Complications/Conditions Associated with Diabetes:

This disorder increases the person's risk to:

Blindness (25 x greater than non-diabetics),
Kidney disease (17 x greater than non-diabetics),
Gangrene (17 x greater than non-diabetics),
Heart disease (2 x greater than non-diabetics).
Loss of feeling in limbs (nerve atrophy)

The life expectancy of a diabetic can be reduced by as much as one third compared to that of a non-diabetic.

The approximate number of diabetics worldwide in 2000 is 175.4 million. Projected figures for 2010 are in the region of 239.3 million.

With the rise in prevalence of diabetes, the burden of the disease to society will become progressively greater. In the US, estimates of the proportion of the national healthcare expenditure on diabetes and its complications have increased from around 4% of the total expenditure in 1980, to 13% in 1996. In 1997, the total US expenditure on diabetes was estimated at US$ 98 billion.